No New Information In Shooting Death Of Byron Jones, 27 Allentown

June 01, 1998|The Morning Call

Allentown police released no new information Sunday about the shooting death early Saturday of 27-year-old Byron Lamont Jones.

Jones was found to the rear of the 300 block of N. 3rd St. and transported to Lehigh Valley Hospital, Salisbury Township, where he was pronounced dead at 4:52 a.m. Police were investigating the incident as a homicide.

Lehigh County Coroner Scott Grim said Saturday that Jones died of a gunshot wound but would provide no other details. He released no additional information on Sunday.

Police said Jones' last regular address was 1330 S. 9th St., Allentown, the home of his mother, Blossom Jones. But Blossom Jones' boyfriend, Jeff Tull, said Byron Jones had not lived with his mother for some time.

Tull said he learned from police and the young man's friends that Jones had been socializing at one of the city's after-hours clubs before he was shot.

Tull said Jones was unidentified for several hours early Saturday because no identification was found on the body. Jones' identity was eventually determined through fingerprint tracing, according to Tull, who identified the body.

Tull said Jones had a long history of trouble with the law.

"He was constantly in and out of jail," said Tull.

Jones' mother traveled to the family's home in Bristol, Bucks County, Sunday to make arrangements for her son's funeral there later this week.

"He wasn't a bad guy," said Tull. "Things just weren't going right for him. It's an unfortunate thing."